# GA Tech Climate Change



# Seminar Series: Science, Impacts, Technologies

and Policy Georgia Institute of Technology

April 22, 2015 Ken Mitchell, Ph.D. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Atlanta, GA

# • The President’s Climate Action Plan • What EPA is doing to advance the President’s plan • Collecting Emissions Data • Getting Reductions • Advancing the Science • Partnering Internationally • Partnering With States, Localities, and Tribes • Helping Communities Adapt 

# Outline

www.epa.gov/climatechange

## • President Obama’s Climate

Action Plan takes a series of ambitious steps to combat climate change • Cuts carbon pollution in America through domestic policies that involve both voluntary and regulatory action • Prepares our country for the impacts of climate change • Leads international efforts to address global climate change • Advances the Science 

# The President’s Climate Action Plan

https://www.whitehouse.gov/climate -change

## • EPA collects various types of GHG emissions data and

promotes consistency in inventories • The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks • The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program 

## • These data help policy makers, businesses, and the Agency track greenhouse gas emissions trends and identify opportunities for reducing emissions and increasing efficiency 

# What EPA is Doing - Collecting Emissions Data

http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/

## • EPA is reducing GHG emissions and

promoting a clean energy economy 

## through highly successful partnerships and common -sense regulatory initiatives • EPA's vehicle GHG rules • Carbon pollution standards for the power sector • Partnering with the private sector through voluntary energy and climate programs 

### • Reducing EPA's own carbon footprint 

# What EPA is Doing - Getting Reductions

http://epa.gov/climatechange/EPAactivities.html

## What EPA is Doing - Advancing the Science
• EPA contributes to world - class climate 

### research through:
• The U.S . Global Change Research Program • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change • The National Research Council of the National Academies of Science 

### • EPA's Office of Research and Development conducts research to understand the environmental and health impacts of climate change and to inform sustainable solutions 

### for adapting to and reducing the impact from a changing climate
6 http://www2.epa.gov/climate - research

## What EPA is Doing - Partnering Internationally

• EPA is engaged in a variety of international activities to advance climate change science, monitor our environment, and promote activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• EPA establishes partnerships, provides leadership, and shares technical expertise to support these activities
• EPA participates in bi - and multilateral partnerships , providing leadership, technical expertise, and capacity building support

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http://epa.gov/climatechange/EPAactivities/internationalpartnerships.html UN Framework Convention on Climate Change As a party to the Framework, the U.S. is committed to working with the international community to promote the convention’s key objective: stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous human - induced interference with the climate system

## What EPA is Doing - Partnering With States,

Localities, and Tribes • EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program provides technical assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to state, local, and tribal governments
• Identifies/documents cost-effective policies and initiatives that address climate change, including those that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and related clean technologies • Measures/evaluates the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of climate change and clean energy initiatives • Offers tools, guidance, and outreach support for assessing the options and benefits of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions • Fosters peer exchange opportunities for state and local officials to share information on best practices and lessons learned about innovative policies and programs

8 http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/

## What EPA is Doing - Helping Communities Adapt

• Across the United States and the world, climate change is already affecting communities, livelihoods, and the environment
• In response, many parts of the federal government are taking action to help Americans adapt to current and potential risks; for example:
• EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries and Climate Ready Water Utilities programs help coastal resource managers and water utility managers, respectively, plan and prepare for climate change

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http://epa.gov/climatechange/impacts -adaptation/fed - programs.html

# Questions? m itchell.ken@epa.gov

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